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Shelton faces date with destiny | Email Ella
Will this be the day that the United States’ 23-year wait for a men’s major champion ends? Ben Shelton is having a career year. He has reached four finals – Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart and Montreal – and won the title in all of them. He is:
The first Black American man to reach the US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972
The first Black American man to reach any grand slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996
The fifth American man this century to reach the US Open singles final, joining Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Taylor Fritz
The first American man to win tour titles on hardcourt, clay and grass in the same season since Sam Querrey in 2010
Zverev is well suited for left-handed opponents due to the strength of his two-handed backhand, which allows him to counter the effects of their swinging serve out wide from the left advantage side as well as their crosscourt forehand from the same position.
There are plenty of reasons, however, for Shelton to be hopeful that things will be different in New York. He will remind himself of the fact that they have never faced each other in a grand slam tournament, where the American so often elevates his game, and particularly that the theme of this tournament has been breaking new ground in difficult match-ups.